The Guards
by Klotho.net
Summary: Ever noticed the guards in Camelot are idiots. What if their convenient selective blindness was the result of a curse started in the begining of the Purge? And what happens when you bring Merlin into that picture...
1. Chapter 1

_A group of people huddle together in the forest, their faces hidden by the hoods of their cloaks. More arrive and we see the marks on their arms, we know they are sorcerers. They talk amongst themselves until one man arrivies. This man commands their silence. They form a circle and begin to chant. We can't hear them but we feel the power building up, see the air almost explode with it. Their eyes flash gold. The spell completed the melt into the forest, all except the man. He lowers his hood and we can now see his face, which is staring towards camelot with a disturbingly familiar expression. He begins to chant and this time, we hear him._

_"The curse is set_

_The conditions met_

_The guards won't detect_

_Nor will they suspect But one of my own_

_By blood and by bone_

_The curse to redo_

_And follow it through_

_To bring tyranny down_

_And claim the crown"_

******* **Merlin wakes up** *******

**A/N: So….**

**What did you think? An undiscovered work of genius? So bad you threw up over it? Or a nice average fic?**

**Review ! (please) **


	2. Late, Late, Late

**By the way this is set when Morgana was bad, but still living in Camelot, and when Arthur was halfway between annoyingly arrogant bully and promising future king. Aplogiges for another short chapter, a longer one will come sometime in the unforseeable future.**

Merlin stumbled out of his room with a groan.

"Stupid bad dreams, stupid tiny stairs, stupid bad rhymes…". It was a good job Arthur was used to him being late or he'd be in the stocks for sure. He got some breakfast (well, nicked some of Arthur's), ran up to the prince's chambers and opened the curtains with his customary "rise and shine".

Only to have a pillow flung at his head. A sleepy prince who somehow managed to be irritated at the same time hid under the blankets, and mumled something about needing sleep. His ability to multi-task was truly astounding at times. Merlin grinned, " I certainly agree that you need your beauty sleep, but the council gathering in five minutes might just miss your considerable presence".

"Five minutes! You really are the most incompetent, lazy, useless.." Arthur paused mid-sentence to take in his servants apperance. Pasty skin, huge shadows under his eyes and hair that resembled a hedgehog drowning in black ink. "Merlin, do you feel alright, you look ill."

" Yeah, I'm fine." One very fake smile, one very raised eyebrow. Merlin sighed, " I just had a bad dream, that's all. No reason for you to get all _concerned_ about me."

"I was not concerned _Mer_lin, I was just making sure you were up to training later. And as you so _obviously_ are up to it, I might add an extra hour on."

* * *

The door of the physicians chambers opened and Gaius walked in on a sight that shocked him to his very bones. Merlin was sitting on his bench, reading a book. Merlin was sitting on his bench, reading a book! Merlin was

**SITTING ON HIS BENCH!**

After all he'd done for that boy, after all the sacrifices and risks, this was how he repayed him? Well, he'd show him!

While Gaius was busy compiling a list of the worst, cruelest chores he could give to his ward, he failed to notice his ward desperatly trying to explain something to him. In fact, as he returned to the world, all he heard from Merlin was

"well, what do you think?" Looking at Merlins anxious expressin, Gaius said the most non-commitable answer he could think of.

"That sounds fine, but why don't we sleep on it and discuss it in the morning? Do you want a sleeping draft to help you along?"

And with that Gaius hurried into his room to plot his revenge it peace. Merlin looked at the place whhere Gaius had just been standing and wondered if he was coming down with something, or maybe his age was finally starting to affect him. After all, Gaius would never, in his right mind, say "lets sleep on it" when he heard we must stop a plot to kill the king and save the kingdom, surely.


End file.
